Quick! Think of a comedian! Who did you think of? Kevin Hart? Russell Peters? Perhaps Louis C.K.? How about John Oliver? I don’t think a lot of us would have thought of John Oliver. For the people who don’t know who Oliver is, well, he’s pretty amazing to say the least.
Oliver is an English comedian, political commentator, television host, and occasional actor. Oliver is the host of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on HBO which will soon begin airing season three. Comedians are known to mock our culture, society, and political institutions all the time, but not every comedian is as capable of bringing about the change that Oliver has brought about since the inception of his show. While other comedians spend their time touring the world and appearing on TV shows or in movies, Oliver, who studied at the University of Cambridge, continues to investigate events occurring worldwide with topics varying from the Wealth Gap and LGBT Rights to the FIFA World Cup and sugar. These topics may seem mundane, but John Oliver has the uncanny ability to make everyday topics incredibly interesting.
When he spoke about bails, Oliver discussed how they are often used to keep poor and low-risk defendants locked up before they’ve even been found guilty of a crime. He noted that people who can’t afford to pay bail have two bad options: plead guilty to avoid waiting in jail or stay in jail until trial. Regarding bail, Oliver has said, “Jail can do for your actual life what being in a marching band can do for you social life. Even if you’re just in for a little while, it can destroy you.” In July, just a month after Oliver’s monologue, New York mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would relax bail requirements for people charged with nonviolent crimes and misdemeanors.
When Oliver spoke about FIFA, the world’s most powerful sports organization, he highlighted corruption in the organization. This was long before the top executives of the organization were arrested by U.S. officials. He called for the then-FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, to step down. Not too long after, Blatter resigned and has since been found guilty of the corruption charges he was accused of.
Oliver has brought about quite a lot of change, but it was his segment on Net neutrality that stood out. Oliver took cable and phone companies to task, accusing them of wanting to create Internet “fast lanes” that would show preference to certain types of Internet traffic above others and undermine the traditional tenets of a free and open Internet. Oliver implored his fans to write to the Federal Communication Commission to voice their displeasure with potential changes to Net neutrality. The government agency received so many comments that its servers crashed. Internal emails later revealed that FCC officials were watching — and laughing at — Oliver’s takedown when it aired. And in February 2015, the FCC voted to adopt Net neutrality regulations — another feather in Oliver’s cap.
Oliver is an individual like no other. He has interviewed Stephen Hawking and even traveled to Russia to meet with Edward Snowden – the former CIA employee who leaked classified NSA and GCHQ files. In a time where major societal changes like gender equality are required, it looks like he is capable of bringing these changes about. Donald Trump called "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" "very boring," which clearly shows that Oliver is doing something right. If there’s one man who can influence Americans to not vote for Donald Trump, it would be Oliver.
Stay tuned to HBO on the 14th of February and watch a genius resume his work.
